Category: Advertising

These four tips will help you lay the groundwork for an effective digital marketing strategy.

According to the latest census figures, there are more than 27.9 million small businesses operating nationwide. which provides nearly half of the private-sector employment. The census data also showed that small firms accounted for 64 percent of net new job creation between 1993 and 2011. It’s clear from these numbers that small businesses are the engine powering the American economy.

Today digital marketing acts as leveling force for small businesses around the world. When executed well, the right campaign can put even the tiniest business in front of the right buyers at exactly the right time. Now small businesses can compete directly with large firms, so long as they offer a quality product at a fair price.

How do small business owners lay the groundwork for an effective digital marketing strategy? – Read

If you’re a marketer, you are always looking for a hot new platform to reach your audience. If Snapchat isn’t already on your radar, it should be. Yet we’ve all heard reservations and predictions about the future of Snapchat — from Evan Spiegel being too secretive to declining user growth at the hands of Facebook feature ripoffs.

I’m uniquely positioned to comment on Snapchat’s advertising platform. For years, I managed digital ads for Google’s most strategic brands. Now I lead marketing for Keepsafe Software, where I’ve kicked the tires on Snapchat’s offering. I also have a teenage daughter who provides me with added perspective on Snap’s market and reach. – Read

Data has redefined the marketing game in the last decade. Before, marketers would pump content out to their chosen medium and judge its success based on any increase in sales. Now, they sit on top of a pile of data that can tell them exactly how their campaigns are performing.

But is this ocean of data putting the focus of modern marketing too heavily on analysis, measurement and insight at the cost of creativity?

This seems to be a common view, according to a survey of 250 marketing decision-makers, with 72% saying that a ‘measurement culture’ is killing creativity. 64% said that the focus on measurable results meant that senior management were unwilling to support brand-building. – Read

Amazon’s US ad revenues hit $1.65 billion in 2017 and are expected to grow 48.2% this year. With the majority of product searches now initiated on Amazon, brands need to increase the visibility of their wares in the platform’s search results, according to L2’s Marketing Playbook report.

Traditional brands and large ad companies like WPP, Publicis, and Omnicom are all taking note of Amazon’s ad services. In fact, traditional brands now own more Headline Search Ads and Sponsored Products than either indie brands or Amazon’s own private labels. – Read

In 2012, Coca-Cola declared that it was on a mission to “kill the press release” by 2015 and launched an ambitious brand journalism project to tell its own story. The result was Coca-Cola Journey, which transformed the company’s corporate website into a dynamic digital magazine and owned media channel that “makes (and sometimes breaks) Coca-Cola news.” While cutting down on press releases and corporate speak, Coca-Cola has managed to significantly boost its media coverage—and more importantly its audience engagement.

This example highlights how PR professionals need to fundamentally rethink the way they tell their stories. What methods can communicators use to ensure that their stories are not only heard, but also felt? – Read

Many marketers view e-newsletters as a kind of interesting relic or an outmoded stepping stone between newspapers and social media. They may pull their writers away from the weekly or monthly newsletter and focus them instead on social media. After all, you can post that same information online and reach your audience instantly, right? However, when used correctly, e-newsletters can still be a valuable marketing tool, especially in the age of social media.

In an almost mythic way, the greatest strength of social media marketing is also its greatest weakness. Social media is instant communication, but it is also fleeting. Your carefully written post about the latest development in your industry may reach thousands of people in a second. But by the next second, it is drowned out by a dozen other posts. – Read